Ruby Duka is a very talented 8th grader. She can sing, dance, act, and play instruments. Music has always come easy for Duka.

“I guess it came from growing up with it- when my family would go to parties, they would always sing karaoke, and all of my cousins would do little performances,” said Duka

She can play the piano and ukulele. Duka took piano lessons for five years, but then quit, yet she still can play very well. She is a very self-taught person. She taught herself how to play the ukulele.

Duka is in Dobie’s choir and she also got to participate in Southern Belles, which is a more professional choir. It focuses a lot on harmonies which is something Duka is very skilled at.

“I love Ruby; she is so talented!” says Zachary Larkin, 8th grader. He believes she is inspiring to others, and more people should have her drive and work-ethic.

Ruby has been in three plays/musicals this school year: The Wizard of OZ, Melodrama at Mayfair Meadows, and Broadway Dreams.

In The Wizard of Oz she played Glinda, the good witch of the North.
“Are you a good witch or are you a bad witch?” says Ruby in a very sassy tone, wearing a blue fluffy dress and a crown that is almost a big as she is.

She also played Amelia in Melodrama At Mayfair Meadows, a young country girl with a beautiful singing voice. She sang her little heart out.

Last but not least, one of the more professional shows, she was in Broadway Dreams, a combination of 24 musicals. She played a monkey, a child, a girl at a pub, and many more characters! She was a star and she definitely shone bright on that stage.

Duka is not like many people. She is very unique and has many different talents.

“Well you can say that I’m going against the stereotypical ‘Asian’ by not going into the medical field and thinking of going into the entertainment business,” said Duka. Braking barriers and stereotypes is something Ruby is very passionate about. She wants to be a great influence for younger people. She is going to take the bull by the horns and shoot for the stars!

Photo: Brooklyn Moore with assistance from Angela Moore